EXCELSIOR

500 MMC - 1902

First of many

Pioneers of the mass production of bicycles in Great Britain, Bayliss & Thomas adopted the Excelsior trademark as early as 1874. In 1896, they imported a Belgian Minerva 1.25 hp engine and fitted it in a Bayliss-Thomas frame at their factory in Coventry. This machine was sold, enabling the partners to claim that they had retailed the first British motorcycle.

Good Publicity

Unlike the majority of their competitors, Bayliss & Thomas realized the value of good publicity. Scarcely had the first Excelsior been sold when a similar machine was exhibited at the Crystal Palace show, and clients were offered trial rides on the Palace grounds.

Faithful Copy

As the firm progressed, the Minerva engine was replaced in production by a French-made De Dion-Bouton engine, then – as on the machine shown – by an English-made MMC engine, a faithful copy of the French unit built under license by MMC (Motor Manufacturing Company) of Coventry. The 1902 model was typical of the period. Its big 498cc engine was mounted in a reinforced pedal-cycle frame and was still fitted with an archaic surface carburetor, which relied on the evaporation of the highly-volatile gasoline to give the explosive mixture. Ignition was by coil and battery, but there was no dynamo – the battery just needed to be replaced when it was dead. Transmission was by belt, and the only form of suspension was the air in the tires!

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 498cc (84x90mm) air-cooled single-cylinder MMC four-stroke

Power Rating: 4.5 hp@ 1200 rpm

Valves: automatic intake, side exhaust

Fuel System: surface carburetor

Transmission: direct-belt drive

Brakes: rim (front); belt pulley rim (rear)

Wheels: 28 inch (24 inch optional for short riders) (front & rear)

Weight: 159 lb

Maximum Speed: 40 mph

With the exception of its MMC-De Dian engine, the 1902 Excelsior is little more than a heavily-strengthened pedal cycle.